Online and Digital Footmark/Presence
It may sound redundant, but in today’s digital world, having an online presence is essential for any business. For health professionals, it’s key to establish a strong online presence to reach more potentially qualified patients and build relationships with them.
According to a survey from 2017, 85% of consumers do research online before purchasing or hiring a service. We believe that’s convincing enough to start your path online.
There are different ways to have a digital presence. Social Media, websites, search sites, online advertising, and client reviews are some channels where your practice must be present. New technologies are always showing up in a fast-evolving world, so staying updated on new digital communication channels will increase your chances of succeeding.
Having a website allows you to showcase your services, communicate the value of those services to potential customers, and build trust. Your website can also act as an online platform where customers can access information about your services and schedule appointments. Advanced SEO and analytics tools allow you to determine how to create the most impact and attract more consumers to your content.
In addition, having a social media presence on sites such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram is a great way to build relationships with new and existing clients. It’s also an effective way to market your services, share health-related content, and spread awareness about your brand.
Finally, creating valuable content is a great way to showcase your expertise and help establish yourself as an authority in the industry. Creating content that resonates with readers will help you build relationships with potential customers and promote trust in your services.
Overall, having a digital presence is essential for any health professional in today’s digital world. It not only allows you to reach a larger audience, but also helps to build relationships with potential customers and spread awareness about your services.
SEO
These days, potential patients don’t just show up to your practice by chance. They will likely search for you before deciding to make an appointment.
Just in 2019, approximately 3.8 million Google searches were done per minute, many of which were made to find information about local businesses. That’s why every healthcare professional must improve their online presence and website in order to succeed.
Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an essential element of success for modern medical practices. In fact, SEO is so important that it can be the difference between a business’s success or failure. It can increase visibility and website traffic, helping to generate more bookings and convert them into qualified patients. Healthcare businesses can use targeted keywords and other strategies to improve their search engine rankings and increase their online presence.
Through SEO, practices can also build a strong brand identity that resonates with patients. The potential for increased bookings, sales, and visibility are just some of the reasons SEO should be an integral part of any business’s marketing strategy. With the right approach, companies can gain a competitive edge in today’s digital market.
We know this might sound complicated, so here’s 10 simple ways to help your website succeed by ranking higher:
- Do your research and choose all of your keywords wisely.
- Create valuable content that is interesting, relevant, and shareable for potential patients.
- Align your content with search intent. Every search has a purpose. If you understand what your audience is looking for, your content should match that.
- Write unique and compelling title tags and meta descriptions.
- Optimize your images. Choose the right format and size, and remember to add alternative text.
- Optimize your website’s page loading speed.
- Make your site mobile-friendly.
- Build backlinks to demonstrate authority. Backlinks are votes of confidence from other sites to yours.
- Improve your site’s UX (user experience)
- Boost your practice with local SEO. Nearly 30% of all mobile searches have local intent. Trust your neighbors.
Consider all of these points to create a powerful website everyone will recognize. A specialized marketing agency can help you develop each point until your healthcare business achieves your marketing goals.
Mobile-first Website
In 2012, smartphones overtook the market and surpassed PC sales for the first time. In the first quarter of 2022, approximately 54% of all web traffic came from mobile devices. A mobile-first era has since taken hold in marketing practices.
Healthcare practice owners must adapt to stay competitive in this landscape, and optimizing their websites for mobile speed is essential. In a hyperconnected world, time is money. A slow website can be the difference between booking an appointment and not.
Google Business Profile can also help by providing quick answers that can be accessed easily from the search results page. Additionally, no-click searches have become increasingly prevalent as potential patients prefer to find answers directly in the search results rather than visit several sites to find their answers.
Healthcare businesses need to take these emerging trends into consideration and develop strategies that meet the needs of this mobile-first world. Doing so can ensure that their brand remains visible and reaches the right audience to achieve their marketing goals.
Mobile comparability is a great way to stay ahead of the competition and build a strong presence for your practice in today’s digital environment.
Online Advertising
Paid online advertising and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can offer health professionals a great way to promote their products and services. Paid online advertising involves creating ads that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) or other web pages when a user searches for a specific keyword. Paid search engine advertising can be targeted to reach specific target audiences, giving health professionals the ability to promote their services more effectively.
Pay-per-click campaigns involve creating ads that are served to a target audience when they perform certain actions. For example, if a user searches for “healthcare services” on Google, they may be served an ad for a local health professional’s services. PPC campaigns are more cost-effective than other forms of advertising because they are only charged when the user clicks on the ad.
Health professionals can benefit greatly from paid online advertising and pay-per-click campaigns. These methods allow them to reach and target their ideal audiences, which can help increase the visibility of their services and attract more clients. Additionally, paid search engine advertising and PPC campaigns allow health professionals to measure the performance of their ads, adjust their strategy, and reach the most effective audience. By utilizing these powerful strategies, health professionals can effectively promote their services online.
Social Media
Social media isn’t a new technology anymore. If you’re not on it, you’re probably losing patients right now.
Social media has become an essential part of our modern world and website performance. It offers businesses a platform to connect with their target audiences and build strong relationships with them. It also helps drive more traffic to your website, with the potential for greater visibility and higher search engine rankings.
Managing several social media accounts can be challenging, so here are some tips for doing it effectively:
- Get organized to manage your accounts.
- Plan when and what to post on your social media ahead of time.
- Take advantage of automation to schedule posts, manage followers, and track responses.
- Respond promptly to comments, questions, and messages.
By following these tips, you can effectively manage multiple social media accounts and maximize the performance of your website to achieve your marketing goals.
Reputation Management
It’s impossible to be everybody’s cup of tea, but when you get a bad review, you should address it. And when you get a great review, you should address it too!
Managing your reputation online is another step towards achieving your goals.
Hundreds of people online search for the best doctor, vet, gym, or other health services. There needs to be more than a well-designed website and social media account to tell them that you’re the perfect choice for what they need.
Providing good service and products is the first step you can take to encourage positive reviews from your patients on your business profile, social media, or other review platforms. Reviews can show potential patients what your practice looks like and increase their likelihood of making an appointment.
If you get a negative review, you must acknowledge the problem and answer with an apology for the inconvenience. Ultimately, real patients’ experiences are a selling point, and erasing reviews is not an option.
A Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ) section is ideal for you and any potential patient. Having an answer to common patient concerns prepared ahead of time speaks well of you and saves time for both parties.